That is the view of prominent Australian geologist and climate change commentator Professor Ian Plimer. Professor Plimer, a prominent critic of the theories of carbon-related human causes for climate change, is enjoying nature’s show of power through volcanic activity.

“I think it’s wonderful”.

“It isn’t an issue, because carbon dioxide is plant food, and the more than we get in the atmosphere the better it is for agriculture and the better it is for forests growing.”

Volcanos and the carbon cycle

Professor Ian Plimer has long argued that large volcanic eruptions will release more carbon into the atmosphere than human-induced activity, regarded by many as the cause for global warming and subsequent climate change.

“Volcanos since the beginning of time have been putting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere; this has been naturally sequestered into limey rocks and into life and into sediments and that is part of the carbon cycle.

“All this (current volcano) is doing is giving us a very sober message that if we humans think that we can twiddle the dial and change climate, why don’t we practice on a volcano because the amount of energy given out by a volcano is a lot less than that involved in atmospheric systems.

“So let’s try to stop volcanoes, practice on volcanoes; then we might have a chance of changing global climates.

The world’s travelling public is focussed on the disruptions in the Northern Hemisphere, as Iceland’s’ volcanic eruptions rumble into a second week of activity that has grounded planes and halted international trade into and out of the European Union.

Yet Professor Plimer sees benefit from the carbon dioxide release into the atmosphere.

He says Iceland’s volcanic carbon emissions are good news for plant growth and the current eruptions give an indication of the potential for carbon emissions from future volcanos.

“We are living in a period of volcanic quiescence, as we haven’t had a dirty big eruption since 1912; and this is a small eruption but it is giving us the window into what a very big eruption would be like.”

“I think people who argue that the human component of carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere, which is about 3 per cent of the annual carbon dioxide emissions from natural sources – the human emission is very very small and one single big volcano can completely change the carbon budget.”

“I think we have to look at this in perspective: that we humans certainly do change climate by land clearing and change local climates.

“We have not yet seen experience of we humans changing global climates.”

“That trace gas in the atmosphere – carbon dioxide – drives life on earth and it does keep us a little bit warm and I think it is a wonderful gas.”